THE 2021 AMELIA HONORS SHADOW AMERICA’S FORMULA 1 WINNER & CAN-AM CHAMPION 

Published on February 8, 2021
“The two-dimensional car”
Shadow Cars founder Don Nichols
Jacksonville, FL – A half century has passed since the first Shadow made its competition debut at Mosport in the opening round of the 1970 Can-Am season. In 2021 the 26th annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will honor the 1974 Can-Am Champion and 1977 Austrian GP winner with a special class of the marque’s winners and its original radical racer – “the two-dimensional car” – the AVS Shadow Mk I, of the 1970 season, the car Road & Track called “the most radical Can-Am yet.”
The Shadows were fan favorites. The menacing black UOP Shadows — the sponsors name was always spoken aloud by Shadow fans — were products of a less structured time of wild and occasionally weird design ideas without hard boundaries.
Shadow DN4. Photo courtesy Peter Harholdt.
George Follmer bravely qualified the radical AVS Mk I in sixth position for the 1970 Can-Am season opener at Mosport. It lasted 24 laps.
The AVS Mk I Shadow never finished a race during the 1970 season. Every modification took the Mk I further from designer Trevor Harris’ original minimalist ultra-low frontal area concept.
Vic Elford (Amelia’s 2012 Honoree) was brought in to tame the tiny terror but ended up claiming it was a car he should never have driven! Ti22 Designer Peter Bryant was hired to put things right. His Shadow Mk II of 1971 looked a bit more conventional and behaved better. Le Mans winner Jackie Oliver arrived from Bryant’s Ti22 Can-Am team to fill the vacant seat. But the most important component of the low-line Bryant-designed Mk II was the acquisition of a new sponsor: UOP — Universal Oil Products — whose logo and livery were a perfect match for Shadow’s pleasingly sinister graphics that gave the Shadow a strong visual presence on Can-Am and F1 grids.
Shadow DN2. Photo courtesy Bill Warner
As the Can-Am succumbed to the economic pressures of the 1973 oil embargo, the mighty Can-Am wobbled. Shadow creator Don Nichols didn’t. New Shadows to combat the turbocharged Porsches were created. And so was a Shadow Formula 1 racer. Tony Southgate designed the first F1 Shadow and the final Shadow Can-Am challenger, the graceful and elegant DN4. Powered by a thunderous Chevy V-8 but incorporating many lessons learned from Formula 1, The DN4 won the championship and all but the final race of the original “unlimited” Can-Am’s season (1974).
Shadow DN6B F5000. Photo courtesy James Bartel
“Shadow belongs to an elite group of race car builders,” said Bill Warner, founder and Chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. “Shadow is the sole American Can-Am Champion. And only the Shadow, McLaren and Porsche marques have won races in both the original unlimited Can-Am and a World Championship Formula 1 Grand Prix.”
“At one end of America’s Grand Prix history there’s Duesenberg at Le Mans in 1921,” said Warner. “At the other is Shadow, winner of the 1977 Austrian Grand Prix. We always remember Dan Gurney’s Spa-winning Eagle and the 1976 Austrian GP-winning Penske, and we should, but sometimes the Shadow gets overlooked.”
“Brian Redman raced for Shadow and summed it up best when he said, ‘I think they should be remembered with considerable honor.’ And that’s what we’re going to do on May 23, 2021,” said Warner.
Shadow DN3. Photo courtesy Bill Warner
AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE
TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Guardians of Porsche Wine Maker’s Dinner
6:30 – 10:30 PM at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island Talbot Ballroom
Begin your AMELIA weekend with an intimate four-course dining experience. A sommelier pairs each course with wines complementary to the menu.
Cocktail Attire
Advance Reservations, Limited Seating
Friday, May 21, 2021
Porsche Driving Experience
7:00 AM – 4:30 PM Departs from the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport
The Porsche Driving Experience departs from the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport immediately following the 7:00 a.m. check-in and 7:30 a.m. drivers meeting with coffee and donuts. Participants will travel in their personal vehicles to a yet to be determined location where they will enjoy activities to include an autocross in one of the latest Porsches and a spirited ride with a professional driver. The tour will also make a stop at the fabulous new Brumos Collection which began as an eclectic private automotive collection that was stored on-site at the Brumos car dealerships in Jacksonville, Florida. Many international and national award-winning cars, historical documents, and racing artifacts are housed in their new location.
  • Limited to 125 cars
  • Must be at least 21 years of age to participate in the event
  • Required documents:
  • valid driver’s license
  • Need not own a Porsche to participate
Friday Seminar – Chevy Thunder
A seminar hosted by NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief Ray Evernham to celebrate Chevy Thunder, which was the GM Racing tag line during the ‘80’s. Panelists scheduled to appear include: Herb Fishel – Director of GM Racing for 40 years; George Follmer – UOP Shadow Racing; David Hobbs – 1972 SCCA F5000 and SCCA Trans-Am Champion and Brian Redman – 3 time SCCA F5000 Champion and IMSA GTP Champion, all in Chevy powered cars.
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM The Awards Tent on the Showfield
McLaren Dinner
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm The Ritz-Carlton, Talbot Ballroom Talbot Ballroom
Cocktail Attire
Saturday, May 22, 2021
Saturday Seminar – The All-Conquering Porsche 935
A seminar hosted by NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief Ray Evernham to tell stories of racing, preparing and writing rules for the all-conquering Porsche 935 when it raced in IMSA. Panelists scheduled to appear include: Hurley Haywood – Interscope, Bayside and Brumos Racing; Bob Garretson – Garretson Enterprises and Dick Barbour Racing; Jack Atkinson – Brumos Racing crew chief; Kevin Jeannette – Swap Shop Racing crew chief; Mark Raffauf – VP of Competition at IMSA; Brian Redman – Dick Barbour Racing and Alwin Springer – ANDIAL. (Panelists are subject to change)
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM The Awards Tent on the Showfield.
Sunday, May 23, 2021
The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
9:30 AM – 4:30 PM The Golf Club Amelia Island 10th & 18th Fairways
2020 showfield
2021 Honoree Lyn St. James
  • General Admission Adult: $100 – Purchased July 6, 2020 – March 31, 2021
  • General Admission Adult: $125 – Purchased April 1, – May 22, 2021
  • General Admission Adult: $150 – Purchased at the Gate/Day of Event
  • General Admission Youth 13-17 years old: $60 (12 and under free w/paying adult)
  • Active Duty Military and Dependents with Active Duty ID: $60 each available on-site only
Concours and More
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM The Golf Club of Amelia Island
  • Ticket includes early entry into the show field at 8:30 AM
  • A private lunch inside the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island(11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.) in the Talbot Ballroom
  • Event Poster (to be distributed at lunch)
  • Tickets not available day of show
Club Amelia
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM Club Amelia Pavilion on the Showfield
Your Club Amelia Ticket includes:
  1. Early Admission onto the show field at 8:30 AM (One hour prior to gates opening to public)
  2. Collectible Program
  3. Collectible Poster
  4. Breakfast, Lunch and Afternoon Snack
  5. Hosted Bar
  6. Covered seating located in the Awards Presentation area
  7. Private restrooms for Club Amelia Patrons
  8. Parking decal provided.
It is not necessary to purchase General Admission tickets for entry onto the show field. Your Club Amelia ticket is your entry into the show field.